


What The Mirror Holds

by 3tno



Category: Shenmue
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Dark, Angst, Angst and Humor, Banter, Belligerent Sexual Tension, Canon Related, Crossdressing, Disguise, Dominance, Drag Queens, Drama & Romance, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Romance, Gay Bar, Gay Panic, Gender Confusion, Gender Identity, Harassment, Heavy Angst, Host Clubs, Internalized Homophobia, Jealousy, Love at First Sight, Love/Hate, M/M, Major Original Character(s), Martial Arts, Minor Original Character(s), Mistaken Identity, Multi, Old Friends, Opposites Attract, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Period Typical Bigotry, Personal Growth, Psychological Drama, Realization, Secret Identity, Secret Relationship, Self-Indulgent, Sexuality Crisis, Slow Burn, Transphobia, Transphobia but they try to do better, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:47:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21884002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/3tno/pseuds/3tno
Summary: Hanfei Huang lived on a border of privilege and pain. His parents never quite knew him, and he never quite knew them, despite being raised by them directly. But they gave him everything he needed.He never quite figured himself out. Any attempts to do so would be swept under the rug and denied. He was theirs.His parents kept dark secrets- but he never thought to question what he knew until their deaths. Their murders left Hanfei alone, lost, and while he was able to fend for himself, a relative decided he could very well be a very valuable asset to their organization, with his Kung Fu skills and sword mastery...he would join the Chi You Men.Hanfei is set unwillingly beside a man he'd met multiple times growing up, and was never particularly fond of. Longsun Zhao- or Lan Di, one of the four leaders of the Chi You Men. It is decided for them both that he must work under Lan Di's rule, as his right hand.Underneath the undying mourning and pain they deal with individually, the two of them eventually find themselves drawn to one another... But every single circumstance attempts to tear them apart. Self discovery, revenge, broken morals, ambition... Is there really any room for love?
Relationships: Guizhang Chen/Original Genderfluid Character, Guizhang Chen/Ryo Hazuki (hinted), Lan Di/Niao Sun, Lan Di/Original Genderfluid Character, Ren Wuying/Ryo Hazuki (background), Terry Ryan/Original Non-Binary Character/Guizhang Chen, Yuan/Dou niu
Comments: 5
Kudos: 9





	1. The Rabbit

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome!  
> I don't really know how to start this, but I guess I'll say this fic is going to be very self indulgent. I don't often get this far with fan characters I make, but I wanted to do something out shameless desire for the start of 2020 so here we are! If you're here, thank you for your interest. If you've read Two Faced, this is going to be quite a different narrative, but hopefully enjoyable nonetheless. 
> 
> "What The Mirror Holds" (a title suggestion thanks to my brother since I was stuck on it for two days) will be far darker than most of the things I've written. But knowing me, it will also be peppered with humor.
> 
> The situation here will be mostly between Lan Di and Hanfei in the long run, but will begin with Hanfei and his friendship with other characters and a struggle with his identity. Some of this is in hopes of delving into the mind of Lan Di as much as I can with such little information, and basically creating an AU that's semi-canon compliant and turning it into what I think could happen, or what I think should happen, but with Hanfei along for the ride. Some of the focus has fanned out to a few others as well, as I've progressed with this fic. Thank you for your interest!

**What The Mirror Holds**

Sometimes a second chance is the only chance one needs, sometimes it was never really a chance to begin with... But a lesson.

Hanfei Huang is not the first nor the last person to be left to circumstance. Parents dead, never knowing the ways of life in which a parent should prepare their child for. He was a rather coddled child, and even at the age of twenty-four, he felt like a lost cause among powerful men who knew how to take on the world.

He would never admit that he felt incapable - not to anyone who could help him.

But he could barely decide for himself.

Little did he know, the night before he received the news of his parents death, that the sword fighting tournament they'd entered him in was perhaps the key to renewed luck.

Or the door to a darker path.

In the shadows of rural Japan, wrapped up in a small village of primarily Chinese culture, Hanfei had won the tournament with his just-below-mastery-level Kung Fu. The way he carried the blade, the way he handled it, he did so with an elegant, flourishing, graceful showmanship - but it was deceiving, pointing to a deadly stab of determination... figuratively speaking.

He hadn't known that one of his great uncles had been invited to watch. His uncle was a secretive man - just like his parents, but double the intimidating aura. There was something about this man, a deeper power that most feared could ever see the light of day.

His parents referred to him only as Tian Di. No other name could hold a deeper respect to them save for the gods themselves.

Hanfei knew very little about his work, but as he grew up he'd met several of the people he worked alongside. One, notably, was a man he knew as Longsun Zhao... Better known to subordinates as Lan Di, the leader of the Eastern division of the Chi You Men. Hanfei was aware of Lan Di's high-ranking status. Even when the man wasn't a leader yet, people feared and respected him... Hanfei treated him the same as he treated everyone else - and it really pissed Lan Di off... Mainly because he could do _nothing_ about it, Hanfei was related to Tian Di by blood after all.

Of course, it was only at the start of these events that Hanfei truly learned who the Chi You Men were. He had heard the name in passing before, but it was always brushed off by his parents. So he sat with his head down, listening to all that his uncle had to say about his new home, his new place inside the Chi You Men. Tian Di had no doubt that he could trust Hanfei... The kid was _far_ too coddled to be an enemy or to think for himself.

But before Hanfei could get a real grasp on the situation, he'd already been thrust into a position of power he'd never expected.

Hanfei had been taken to Lan Di, who had already arrived in Japan the night before for unrelated reasons. There was a brief explanation from his escorts, two of Lan Di's personal guards.

Lan Di was clearly displeased by the news and choice that was made for him, looking over Hanfei standing just a few feet away from him.

Hanfei was a total of 170cm tall - quite a bit shorter than Lan Di. His long, raven hair had been haphazardly pulled back into a messy ponytail, bangs a mess over his face. Straight ends of the tail frayed and stuck out in some places, and rested length below his neck. He wore a dark violet ceremonial robes made of velvet embroidered with an intricate folded rabbit design, and was trimmed with lilac or gold at the hem... A gold sash was around his thin waist. The sleeves were dark grey, and loose black pants lay beneath his robe. His choice of clothing was quite... Feminine. 

"I assume this is some sort of joke?" Lan Di spoke, eyes still darting over Hanfei's form. The boy wasn't squirming as much as he'd hoped for under his scrutiny.

One of Lan Di's men, dressed in a black suit, bowed their head low, "Apologies, Lan Di-Sama, we would never disrespect you as such."

Hanfei scoffed, looking Lan Di up and down with a gesture of his head. His voice was quite a bit higher than the average man's, with a flair of elegance to it, "What, you think I'm not good enough for this?"

Lan Di merely raised a brow at him, keeping his calm, cold composure, "A waste of breath like you...? Clearly you underestimate the power you've been given. How could you possibly be qualified for this?"

Hanfei growled, pouty lips curling into a sneer, balling his hands into fists, "Well, boss, excuse me, but I didn't choose to be your assistant or whatever."

"You should be honored."

Hanfei narrowed his sharp eyes, glaring from under this long lashes, "Honored to serve an ass like you?"

Both of the men behind Hanfei glared at him, shocked by his complete disrespect - no, outright defiance at Lan Di.

Lan Di put his hand up in a small gesture, efficiently telling his men to back down. He kept his eyes on Hanfei, and no expression on his face. Hanfei, on the other hand, sneered at the older man.

Lan Di's eyes narrowed, "What can a boy like you even accomplish?"

Hanfei grimaced, "Well, clearly I've done enough for my uncle to notice."

"Favoritism will not defend you in the face of death, rabbit."

Hanfei sneered again, he didn't mind the nickname, he liked it in fact - but not the way Lan Di used it, "I know Kung Fu."

Lan Di's brows lifted just slightly, "I find that hard to believe."

Hanfei scoffed, throwing his fists down, "You've literally seen me train!"

Lan Di faced away from Hanfei, ignoring his pushy reminder, "You were a child. To me, it seems only your height has changed. I find it unlikely that you've had the discipline to master such a thing, let alone train well enough to belong here."

Hanfei sneered, and opted to suddenly try and strike Lan Di. The second Hanfei moved forward, Lan Di faced him, blocking the strike with the back of his wrist - but Hanfei twisted his form back - and aimed to kick him in the shin, successfully, but it didn't do much of anything. Lan Di kicked forward, keeping his arms behind his back. Hanfei was forced back, but he side stepped, throwing one punch toward his face - deflected, another, pushed away. He quickly tried again, lower this time.

Lan Di twisted his arm in order to swiftly grab Hanfei by his wrist with almost too much ease, and it was far more effective than whatever Hanfei had attempted. He glared down at the enraged boy, narrowing his eyes at him. There was practically no distance between their bodies since Lan Di had yanked him close to stifle his freedom… but ignoring Hanfei's free hand was a mistake on his part.

"Forget that child comment, really." Lan Di seemed mildly amused, "I've seen many of them fight far better than you."

"Then you clearly haven't noticed what I'm focused on." Hanfei spat with a gruff tone.

Lan Di only raised a brow, searching in Hanfei's light brown eyes the reason for his arrogance. It wasn't until Hanfei moved just a bit closer that Lan Di realized what situation he was in, and felt a small edge of metal pressed into his side. His nostrils flared as he exhaled, annoyed by Hanfei's amusement, and purposeful closeness. Their waists were practically pressed together - with a blade at his side, he could easily be injured… He'd tricked him rather easily. How incredibly bothersome.

"Hey-!" One of the suited men stepped forward, but Lan Di stopped him with a simple glance, "We had him leave his weapons. We had no idea-"

"Quiet." Lan Di ordered, effectively shutting them up.

Hanfei felt a sense of pride rush through him.

"You've trained with blades..." Lan Di muttered his observation as he looked back down to Hanfei, "Unsurprising, considering your constant fatalism."

"You sure seemed surprised." Hanfei whispered, a smirk tugging at his lips as he leaned up a little toward him and soaked in that irritated expression of his, "Now just picture me with a sword."

"A small blade varies wildly in its effectiveness. A sword is only as useful as it's wielder." Lan Di hissed, releasing Hanfei's wrist with a small glare and a step backwards, "Yet, I suppose I  **must** trust decisions made by-"

Hanfei interrupted with a teasing tone while sheathing his knife back under his sash, "Ohh, now you want me here?"

"Do not shove words into my mouth,  **rabbit** ." Lan Di sneered at him before turning away, sauntering toward the table in the middle of the room covered in maps, "You have appeared at a very crucial time within our organization. I will not allow you to get in the way, and all things considered, neither will your beloved uncle."

Hanfei rolled his eyes, "Yeah, he told me, something about mirrors or whatever."

"You wouldn't speak so blindly about them if you knew what their power held." Lan Di moved around the table and faced Hanfei, "You simply wouldn't understand. The only mirrors you've cared for in your life were solely for your vanity."

"I am  **not** vain." Hanfei scowled.

"This… Coming from the boy wearing  _ makeup _ ?"

"A little eyeshadow never killed anyone. Directly." He mumbled. Threats from his father were only words, and, well, he was dead.

Lan Di grimaced a little at his response, but sighed and discarded that end of the conversation, "You will learn valuable lessons here, Hanfei, if I have anything to say about it. That cocky disposition of yours will be gone  **very** soon."

"Hmph." Hanfei folded his arms over his chest, "What about yours?"

"I  _ earned _ my place. Can't say the same for you."

"Is this job just going to be you belittling me?"

"Until you die in battle."

"Lovely." Hanfei scoffed, gesturing out in exasperation before dropping his arms to his side. Apparently the chance to stab him wasn't enough to convince Lan Di he was worth more than assumptions.

"Perhaps I should give you something to do." Lan Di hummed low, eyes narrowing at Hanfei, "Fetch some tea."

Hanfei glared, "You're serious." 

"Of course." Lan Di looked down to the table, beginning to sort out maps.

"I don't even know where anything is here."

Lan Di barely paid him any mind, "You'll have to leave to find some."

"You expect me to figure that out in a town I've never even been to before?"

"I suppose you aren't competent enough to survive at all, if you can't even find a place to buy something so common as tea."

Hanfei growled a little at him before turning on his heel, and heading towards the door in a storm of footsteps, "I'll find your damn tea…"

Stewing in his anger, he hadn't even considered the fact that going out so late was a bad idea. Especially considering it was raining. He groaned when he looked outside the warehouse front door, and briefly went back in to grab a few things from his bag in the corner of the room. 

He glanced up after hiding two daggers underneath his robe, and stared at Lan Di and his two men discussing things around the table. He only felt himself scowl. Turning away again, Hanfei gasped and stopped in his tracks, surprised by a tall man entering the building. The man stopped with a confused grunt and looked him over. Cold at first, until he softened for some reason or another.

"Whoa..." The man chuckled with a very deep voice, eyeing Hanfei in a way that made him tense, "Didn't see ya, miss."

Hanfei didn't even argue, it wasn't worth the effort, plus this wasn't the first time this had happened, "And… you are?"

"Hmmm… You new?"

"Yes. I'm…" He glanced away, "I'm an assistant to Lan Di-Sama." He looked up again, "I also asked a question."

The man smirked down at him, clearly adding more respect to his tone because of his position, "Name's Terry..."

"Hanfei." He offered back, finding that talking to this man was much more entertaining than being forced to wander in the rain, "I take it you're some big hotshot if you're able to walk in here without repercussion."

"You could say that…" Terry's rough voice lowered even more, and he smirked. 

Hanfei knew that smirk on any man, hell, he'd given that smirk. It made him blush, visibly, which seemed to amuse the older man.

"Pardon me," Hanfei muttered, averting his gaze, "I must be going."

"Hmm? So soon?"

Hanfei sensed Lan Di staring at them, dead silent in his direction. The new subordinate could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand up in response to the glare. He wasn't scared of Lan Di, but he didn't want a worse fate than what he'd already been set to do. 

"I'm afraid so." Hanfei flashed a smile, "Excuse me." 

He could feel multiple sets of eyes on him as he headed out of the warehouse. Shaking off the idea that he was being hit on by a man, no matter how soothing his voice was, he set off into the rain. 

Leaving the harbor was simple, although he hadn't even considered how he was going to get back in…

Yokosuka was much bigger than the small village he came from, restricted to a small area within his parents' reach… this was something he wasn't used to. He had a good visual memory, though, which would help him find his way back. Worst case, he would simply call his uncle and have him help. But, he wasn't about to give up so quickly. He needed to prove something, even if it was small… and tedious…

He wasn't sure how he'd ended up in a completely different area from where he started, but at least there was an open Tomato Store… finding the tea wasn't hard, but, did Lan Di even have a tea set in that warehouse? Crap.

Hanfei grumbled quietly under his breath, finding there weren't exactly any tea sets in the convenience store, at least not right then. Couldn't he just buy tea to-go somewhere? 

"Didn't expect to become a delivery boy…" He muttered under his breath after paying for a box of tea and some chocolate. He quietly thanked the man standing at the counter before leaving, even if the man seemed bored and mildly irritated.

Once he stepped out of the store, he felt a presence nearby. He shifted his stance, standing a little taller and placing his free hand over his sash, ready to pull out a hidden dagger at any moment. 

He continued on, barely making it a couple yards ahead before being stopped in his tracks, a small band of men working their way around to bar him from going any further. Hanfei sighed, looking toward the man directly ahead of him. 

"Where are you goin' at this time of night?" The man snickered. 

"I don't have time for this." Hanfei stated clearly, "Go bother someone else."

"Already mouthing off?"

"Move." Hanfei sneered, "I am not in a good mood."

One of the men to his left laughed at his reply, "Hear that boss?"

Hanfei sneered at them, "What do you want?"

"You're looking pretty well off," the boss snorted, stepping forward, "We want a piece of that."

"You  **really** think you're going to mug me?"

Hanfei hadn't noticed, but not too far behind him, someone rounded the corner of the walk way, overhearing what was being said.

The boss sneered, "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way-"

Hanfei didn't hesitate to drop the grocery bag and pull out a dagger, pointing it straight at the man and causing two of them to back away, "I always did have a fondness for the hard way."

Hanfei wasn't the only one with a blade, however. The boss flipped out his switchblade, not hesitating to charge at the smaller man. Hanfei stepped aside, swiftly, and stuck out his foot in order to trip the man before whacking him the back of the head with the hilt of his dagger. The other men moved in, but one of them was caught by another pair of hands that came from the shadows. Hanfei ducked underneath the grip of one man, and spun on his heels to kick someone behind him, knocking them down. The man who had tried to grab him was pulled away, and Hanfei glanced up at the last second, finding the man with a bloody nose, falling to the ground. Hanfei was astounded and confused, right until he looked up to the pin-stripe suited man who had helped him.

"Is your middle name 'trouble'…?" They muttered, offering Hanfei a hand, but instead groaned when they were abruptly tackled by a hug instead, "What  **are** you doing…"

Hanfei grinned, pulling back in order to grin at them, "I am  **so** glad to see you right now, Guizhang."

"Tsk." Guizhang shook his head, "What are you doing outside of Yokohama?"

Hanfei shifted a little, looking down as his smile faded, "Ah… new job. My parents… They uh…"

The way Hanfei's expression fell, and his voice trailed, Guizhang immediately understood, and offered his condolences with a hand upon Hanfei's shoulder, "I see. I'm sorry, Hanfei."

Hanfei looked back up to him, forcing a weak smile as he purposely blew past those negative emotions, "I'm glad to see you."

"We've established this." Guizhang glanced down to the bag on the ground, and moved to pick it up, "Here."

"Thank you." Hanfei smiled as Guizhang handed him the bag, "It's been a while since you've been to Yokohama, any particular reason…?"

"Business just hasn't taken us there." He replied bluntly, "What work are you doing here?"

"Uh…" Hanfei wasn't exactly supposed to mention the Chi You Men to anyone, so he shrugged, "Just… some secretary work. Referred by a family member..."

He wasn't  _ technically _ lying.

Guizhang chuckled a little at his answer, though it was dry and cold, and caused Hanfei to scowl.

"What?" Hanfei huffed.

Guizhang shook his head, " _ You _ , taking orders from someone?"

"Shut up." Hanfei pouted a little, "What are you doing out so late?"

"I was hungry."

" _Was_?"

" _Am._ " Guizhang corrected, "Come with me."

He didn't even give Hanfei a chance to answer, instead, he passed by him, walking the way initially intended to go. Hanfei's shoulders tensed a little, wondering just how mad Lan Di was going to be about him being out so long.

But Lan Di's voice echoed in his mind, _ "What can a boy like you even accomplish?" _

Oh, screw him.

Hanfei stormed ahead, catching up with Guizhang. Guizhang glanced aside to watch him shuffle up, and looked him over.

"You're wearing makeup…" Guizhang observed, but received a glare.

"Hey, I'm allowed to do what I want, okay?"

"I did not point it out with judgement."

Hanfei's small brows rose, "You didn't?"

Guizhang looked ahead, "No. It suits you." 

"Oh." Hanfei snorted in amusement and lifted his chin, "Well, thank you."

"Don't let it go to your head."

Hanfei chuckled, "Hey, it's nice to get a compliment from someone who isn't a young girl or… creepy old man…"

Guizhang glanced to him again, watching his crestfallen expression dominate his features. He stopped in his tracks, which cause Hanfei to do so as well. Guizhang turned to the side, only to walk toward a small set of stairs that lead to a hidden alley. Hanfei followed in curiosity, chasing him down the stairs. 

"This doesn't look like a restaurant." Hanfei pointed out, eyeing the  **'Heartbeats Bar'** sign, "Drinks and…  **_snacks…_ ** ? Why are you taking me to a hostess bar?" He laughed and nudged him with an elbow, "Trying to set me up or are you looking for someone yourself?"

Guizhang was unamused and gave him a small glare, "Mm… no. Hanfei. First of all, there are no hostesses, yet."

"So?"

"You enjoy performing, right?"

"Yeah?" Hanfei snorted, confused. Guizhang must have remembered the fan-dance he'd done for their friends before, "Are you implying I become a hostess? Might I remind you I'm a boy."

Guizhang gave him a look, implying he knew more than Hanfei was willing to admit, "Han."

Hanfei sighed, hanging his head for a second before lifting it back up with a hair flip, "Go on."

"After 11pm this bar becomes a hotspot for…  _ outcasts. _ Many people perform; dancing, singing, acting, et cetera." He cleared his throat, looking back to the sign, "A safe place for… those who don't fit in with-"

Hanfei interrupted, "So, transvestites and homosexuals or-"

Guizhang glared, "Don't be so crude."

Hanfei shook his head, hand up in his defense, "I'm not judging, come on. But why would I need to know all that?"

Guizhang sighed, turning to face him, "Hanfei…" he stared at him with knowing eyes, though his expression hasn't changed, "Don't play dumb."

Hanfei clenched his fists, becoming uncomfortable with the way he was being stared at, "How do you know about this place?"

Guizhang said nothing, he only turned around and headed back up the stairs. For Hanfei, it clicked right away, and he pointed at Guizhang as he chased after him, almost too excited.

"Ohhh, I  **knew** it!" He laughed.

"You act superior, yet, you know you're same."

"I never said that." Hanfei scoffed, walking alongside him.

"Hm." Guizhang shook his head, "Next time you need to clear your mind, you know where to go."

"You make way too many assumptions." Hanfei brushed him off.

"I can smell your denial."

"That's probably just coffee."

"Perfume, more like." He muttered, but stopped and turned to Hanfei when the younger man stopped walking.

Hanfei shook his head, "I… I should get back. My boss will be angry if I take too long."

Guizhang only managed to raise a brow, "Suit yourself."

Hanfei sighed, but gave Guizhang a pat on the arm before taking several steps back, "Thank you. I hope I'll be seeing you around."

"Hm." Guizhang nodded, "Try not to get into more trouble."

"Yeah yeah." Hanfei smirked at him as he stepped back again, "You worry too much!"

Guizhang watched him walk away, perhaps he  **was** worried. He'd known Hanfei for a long while now, and not once had he seen him free. His newfound freedom was not going to be welcome with open arms, he knew that for sure. Hanfei was already taking small steps towards who he'd been forever, but was forced to hide. 

He only hoped the rabbit wouldn't fall prey to the trap of his own pain.


	2. The Dragon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanfei finds a note within his belongings, which he suspects is from no other than Guizhang himself. 
> 
> Lan Di is suspicious of Hanfei's behavior, which leads him into doing something completely unorthodox and crude. Hanfei is more or less unsurprised by his actions, but completely surprised by his own reaction to something he should be perturbed by... Plus he finds that his charms don't work as well as he expected them to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this chapter involves unwarranted physical contact and a body search (nothing explicit. Waist/above.)

  
"Where have you been?"

Hanfei scowled, annoyed by the fact that he was already being scolded just because he stepped inside. He lifted the grocery bags in his hand to show Lan Di what he had.

"I got the tea, but I didn't know if we had anything to make it in... So I had to find somewhere that was open that had an electric kettle and a thermos." He sauntered over, setting the bags on the table they worked on in order to take out the boxed kettle, "So long as we have an outlet and a water source," he next pulled out a small plastic jug of water, "it should work." 

Lan Di's brows furrowed together, glaring at the cocky grin Hanfei gave him. He could feel the stares of his men on him, along with Terry's. Terry seemed to be trying not to laugh, and pressed his lips together while looking over Hanfei. Lan Di had completely expected him to bring back a box of tea, with nothing to make it with... But that wasn't the case. Somehow, Hanfei also knew wouldn't settle for something from a can.

Hanfei quickly went to work setting up the kettle, the nearest outlet was behind several boxes that he pushed aside with relative ease, but kept them close to use them as a table. Lan Di could only glare at him while he did this, keeping the other three waiting for their discussion to continue. The other three resumed their discussion, quietly, as Hanfei emptied the bags not too far away from them. He paused his actions when a small slip of paper- perhaps a folded card- fell out of one of the bags. It wasn't a receipt, that was for sure.

He bent down, picking it up and pushing his hair back to keep it out of his face at the same time. As he stood back up, he knew he couldn't open it right then, and shoved it underneath the decorative ties of his obi, hiding it... but not very well, obviously, because he still felt Lan Di's eyes on him. He turned and looked him straight in the eye, scowling at him. Lan Di remained still, glaring back.

"What?" Hanfei scoffed, forcing the other three to drop their conversation. 

Lan Di's eyes narrowed at him, "What was that?"

Hanfei easily played dumb, "What was what?"

"That paper you hid away just now..." His voice lowered, as did his head, causing his glare to become more of a hateful glower. 

Hanfei thought quickly, pulling out a ticket stub from his sash instead of the paper, which he'd actually shoved in there earlier, "They make you draw a ticket at the Tomato Store. It fell out of the bag. Paranoid much?"

Somehow this only made Lan Di even angrier, it was obvious due to that frustrated sneer he gave him. Hanfei pursed his lips and shoved the losing ticket back into his sash, glancing around at the other three to avoid Lan Di's gaze. Terry seemed amused by every move Hanfei made, and Lan Di's men were almost as irritated as Lan Di was.

Hanfei popped his lips and whispered, " _Ooookay_..." Before turning back to the makeshift tea set in order to actually begin making tea.

He worked quickly, hoping to get this thing up and running so Lan Di would maybe be a little less cranky. He wasn't really listening to the conversation that resumed at the table, and lost track of time rather easily, until he heard the name 'Chen' under Lan Di's breath. Hanfei ceased his movements, trying to listen closer and staring at the kettle as it boiled quietly.

Terry chuckled, a little less secretive about what he had to say, "My men will handle it... Ain't nothin' a little distraction can't do. We'll find a way."

Lan Di grunted quietly in acknowledgment before moving on. Hanfei hadn't quite caught what that was about, but his anxiety had spiked through the roof. Was Guizhang involved in all of this? Or was it Guizhang's father - someone just as secretive as his own was...? Hanfei didn't know much about Master Chen aside from the very little Guizhang spoke of him, and even then, Hanfei's memory didn't serve him very well. 

He jumped, shaken out of his thoughts by the sound of the kettle whistling. The whistle wasn't as loud as a typical kettle, but it was enough to startle him due to his already rattled nerves. Lan Di didn't even spare him a second to gather himself, and stared at the man as he began working at getting the tea all ready.

Hanfei did his best not to shake too much when he brought the small thermos cup over to Lan Di. He kept his head down and offered it to him as if he actually respected him that much... Really he was just embarrassed about jumping like that. Lan Di raised a brow at him, then took the cup without so much as a single thank you. 

One of the suited men spoke with their head bowed, "Lan Di-Sama, shall I taste that before you do?"

Lan Di only stared down at the man, unsure what his answer was going to be. Hanfei scoffed at the offensive suggestion.

"What, taste testing it for poison?" Hanfei folded his arms over his chest with a glare.

The suited men only stared at him, blatant with their distrust. Hanfei only sneered at them and looked up and Lan Di. He could feel Terry's eyes on them, too. That didn't help his frustration. 

Lan Di grunted, "Defensive, aren't we?"

"I'm not defensive!" Hanfei threw his arms down and clenched his fists, "But I'm already tired of this-" he gestured over everyone at the table, "High school club crap! What do you want from me?"

"You seem to believe you deserve immediate praise and acceptance. Simply because you-"

Hanfei growled, slamming his hands on the table, "We've had this discussion. I am here because my uncle thinks I belong here. Every time you badmouth me, you're badmouthing his desires and his wishes. Doesn't that make you just as bad of a subordinate as I am?"

Lan Di squinted, raising his chin, "I am no mere subordinate, _Rabbit_."

"And _I'm_ not just a kid you used to know." Hanfei shook his head. Suddenly, he offered his hand gesturing inwards with his fingers in quickly strokes, "Give me the tea."

Lan Di didn't hesitate to do so, curious about his next move, see whether it was something he could hurt him for or not... But he gave a quizzical stare as he watched Hanfei take a swig of the tea from the thermos cup and grimace from burning his tongue. He gritted his teeth with a pained groan and handed the cup back. When Lan Di took the cup again, he watched Hanfei gesture at it, clearly trying to show that it wasn't poisoned... just hot. Beside Hanfei, Terry was clearly trying not to laugh, but he was staring down at Hanfei in some kind of respect and _definite_ amusement. 

Lan Di looked Hanfei in the eyes, barely hesitant as he took a sip of the hot tea. It was fine... Good even. At least for the circumstances it was made under. He said nothing more, setting the cup on the table and tapping one of the maps, "As I was saying..."

Hanfei's jaw jutted out in some strange pride, smugness, and frustration at the same time. His eyes darted over Lan Di as he resumed speaking to his men, and Terry's gaze remain studying Hanfei... He hadn't noticed, and stepped away, back to the little tea station. 

Whatever crap they ended up discussing quickly bored him, something about cargo and a ship route to China. He took a moment to refill Lan Di's cup of tea with the thermos, quietly, before beginning to put the rest of makeshift tea set away, leaving the thermos on the table for him. He wasn't listening after he realized they were not going to bring up the Chen family again. Maybe it wasn't the same Chen family? He truly hoped it wasn't...

With some caution and his back turned to them, he slipped the paper inside of his robe to hide it better. Knowing that the note he found must have been from Guizhang, he had to be cautious, just in case they _were_ talking about the same family...

After things were tidy, he sat in the corner of the warehouse, trying not to doze off. Instead of allowing himself to fall asleep out in the open, he forced himself to move his heavy limbs and drag his bag from behind the crates. He fumbled around, getting it open and pulling out a pouch which contained fabric, small scissors, and a sewing kit. He eyed the colors of fabric in his bag, and how very little he had... But his fingers trailed over the dark red silk on top of it all, instantly reminded of the tie Guizhang had worn that day. Maybe he'd like another tie? Something? Was that dumb? Whatever. He needed the excuse to do something that would keep his hands and mind busy.

By the time the others were done talking, Hanfei had made a tie, a lacy purple handkerchief, a white rabbit-ear hair tie, and a lilac lace collar. He was practically falling asleep by the time he realized there were people shuffling about. 

"Huang." 

Hanfei jolted, his head shooting up right as he looked up to Lan Di, who was staring him down for a short while. Hanfei got the hint as Lan Di and the other two began shuffling out of the warehouse. Hanfei quickly shoved all of his belongings into his bag, then nearly tripped over himself when he moved to follow the others. 

It was nearly dawn, and one of the suited men offhandedly reminded Hanfei of the tea kettle being left behind. Hanfei haphazardly shoved his belongings into the black car before running back inside to grab it and the thermos. 

By the time he came back out, he saw the car slowly beginning to move - ready to leave without him. But Hanfei ran, yanking the door open and throwing the box inside even though the car was at a rolling start. The box practically hit Lan Di, causing the man to growl and sneer at the boy as he slammed the door. 

"Don't give me that look-" Hanfei tried to catch his breath while untying his loosened shoulder-length ponytail just to retie it tighter, "You tried to leave without me!"

Lan Di nearly snorted at the accusation, "You took too long."

Hanfei glared, "I was in there for just a minute! Max!"

Lan Di eyed him, saying nothing as the boy finished tying up his hair. Before Hanfei could notice his lingering stare, Lan Di looked toward the windshield, keeping to himself. 

The awkward silence was near maddening.

Just a short drive out of Sakuragaoka, in the small town of Maboricho, someone had been anticipating their arrival... Hanfei had only passed through the area of Maboricho a few times growing up, but there wasn't much he knew about it other than the location of the Jorinji temple and the dojo located on the hills above it, just beside another Buddhist temple... He only thought about it because they passed right by it before stopping at a two-floor house. He made a mental note, reassuring himself that he had a place to run off to if he needed space - and Gods knew he'd need that eventually...

Hanfei finally spared the exceedingly quiet Lan Di a glance once they'd stopped. As the two suited men exited the car, Lan Di remained still for a moment, staring out the window at the large house before them. 

Hanfei shifted awkwardly in his seat, "This is where you're staying, right?"

"We are." Lan Di coldly corrected.

Hanfei grimaced. Though, he knew Lan Di wasn't the type of person to go light on accomodations, there was no way he'd be sharing a room with anyone he didn't want to. Which was no one, he'd bet. 

"Whose house is this?" Hanfei asked.

"Must you ask so many questions?" Lan Di muttered, gently pushing the car door open in the middle of the rhetorical statement. Typically he'd have someone open the door for him. His attempt to leave so quickly just made Hanfei feel dejected.

Hanfei pouted, glaring at Lan Di's back. The door shut, and Hanfei stuck his tongue out, quietly mocking Lan Di under his breath. He grumbled quietly to himself, picking up the kettle box and thermos to hold them under one arm as he got out of the car - then grabbed his bag and shut the door with his hip.

Lan Di had already gone inside, leaving the other three to grab any luggage they had from the back of the car.

Somehow Hanfei got stuck carrying two other bags along with his own, and the tea kettle, and thermos, all at once. He growled at the other two subordinates as they barely carried a thing, both ignoring Hanfei's struggle as they headed into the house. 

Not giving a single crap, Hanfei dropped almost all of the bags at the door once he stepped inside. This interrupted Lan Di's conversation with the... housekeeper? She was an elderly woman with one blind eye, and stripes of grey in her otherwise dark hair. She was much smaller than Lan Di, and shorter than Hanfei as well... But her aura was far taller than most of the others in the room.

Lan Di had turned to glare at Hanfei, who had glared back. The woman looked over Hanfei, and frowned just slightly at him before looking back up at Lan Di.

"As I was saying..." She said in a creaky tone, carried with confidence, "Please be sure not to be too noisy. It is an honor to have you here, but..."

Lan Di gave a small nod, "You needn't plead with me. I understand."

"Thank you..." She bowed quickly, "I do hope I can make your stay as comfortable as possible, no matter how short your visit is."

Hanfei's small nostrils flared, listening to her finish up her explanation of the house rules as he glared at his superior. This woman must have been of high regard to them, otherwise he wouldn't bother talking to her. Clearly, she wasn't a housekeeper...

Lan Di wasn't exactly a kind person, but seeing him speak to a respected old woman gently and even comply with her requests wasn't too out of the ordinary for him - at least from how Hanfei remembered him when they were younger. Somehow it seemed a little more odd now that he'd gotten colder with age... Maybe he was just colder to him. To be fair, he didn't have much of a choice in communicating with him.

Whatever.

With a small scowl, Hanfei shifted the weight of his bag before heading toward the stairs, not giving a damn that he had no clue where he was meant to go. But he gave the housekeeper a short bow as he walked, heading up the stairs. Quietly, he overheard Lan Di apologize on his behalf. Excuse the disrespectful new kid, please. Uhg.

Hanfei glanced from door to door, barely paying attention to the cherry wood hallways or their lovely antique decorations. He just wanted to find the bathroom, he knew some of his eyeshadow must have been streaking by then... Not that he'd cried a little in the car or anything. 

He did find the bathroom rather quickly, and turned on the lights. The shower and bath, as they traditionally tended to be, were separate. It was a rather small space, with the mirror no wider than the sink itself. He sighed, beginning to feel a little claustrophobic. He wasn't used to this. Perhaps living with bigger, Western influenced architecture before had caused him to become a little spoiled.

He released a small sigh after touching up the small amount of purple eyeshadow. It had faded more than he'd anticipated. He reveled in his reflection for a moment, wondering if he was going to permanently look this tired.

"Huang."

He jumped, looking up at Lan Di's reflection behind him as he stepped inside. 

"What-" Hanfei huffed, scowling at the taller man, "This is a bathroom, you can't just barge in!"

"The door was open." Lan Di replied flatly, hands neatly behind his back. He seemed to be looking him over in the mirror as well.

"Still-"

"We need to have a word. Alone." 

"Wait, what?" Yeah, that wasn't nerve-wracking at all.

Lan Di had already shuffled out of the room and began down the hallway before Hanfei could even try to pry. The anxious knot burrowed in his stomach only pulled tighter. He drew a deep breath, taking a second to fix his hair in the mirror and pick up his bag before heading out of the bathroom. 

He figured quite quickly that Lan Di would have the larger room at the end of the hall, door open and unwelcoming. He saw one room was taken by his two subordinates... leaving the smaller room beside Lan Di's for his own. 

Great...

He set his bag just inside his designated room, not yet able to give it a proper look, and quickly moved back out to enter Lan Di's room. It was rather dimly lit, red and brown hues matched well throughout the space... 

Upon stepping inside, Hanfei instantly had to lift his arm - halting a swipe from Lan Di - he caught Lan Di's other hand by the wrist, which had at his chest. Despite the swift reaction, Lan Di over powered him with the angles he'd been grabbed at, and pushed Hanfei backwards with ease. Hanfei hissed at the cracking sound his back made when it crashed against the dark hard wood. Slightly dazed, he was unable to stop Lan Di from immediately grabbing the collar of his robes and tugging at them.

Hanfei released a low groan, focusing on Lan Di's actions through the haze. He was able to stop him for a second by grabbing his wrists again, and catching his gaze. 

"What are you doing?" Hanfei snarled, trying his best to keep his eyes locked with such a cold glare.

"You're hiding something." Lan Di snapped, snatching back his wrists to continue pulling at Hanfei's clothing.

"Wait- _wait_ -" Hanfei grabbed at Lan Di's upper arms and released a small gasp when his superior nearly tore open the collar of his robe, loosening most of the fabric that was tucked in around his chest. 

Lan Di paused, allowing Hanfei to grab his wrist again.

Curiosity stopped Lan Di in his tracks once he spotted the deep, diagonal scars on Hanfei's chest. Hanfei was more concerned about Lan Di's expression; far off, but not quite lost... For a split second, he couldn't stop himself from actually admiring the older man's features... His own deep scar, dark eyes, his strong features and sharp nose... 

And he almost forgot that this was his boss _literally trying to pull off his clothes._ Having just patted down his hips, Hanfei remembered he was out to find a _very specific_ object of suspicion! _Focus_! 

"Hey- **_hey_**!" 

By the time Hanfei found his voice again he was grasping at the taller man's shoulders. Lan Di's calloused hands pressed up against his sides, underneath his subordinate's sash, skimming and sliding his damn fingers over every crevice he could find, from his stomach to his waist... But once Lan Di slid his hands to the middle of Hanfei's back - his long fingers trailed up just slightly brushing against his spine - and Hanfei released a sharp gasp before directly slapping his superior's face. 

Hanfei pressed his now-stinging hand over his own mouth to stifle any other sounds he could make, eyes wide. He didn't even know how that type of reaction was elicited from him - from Lan Di of all people. He'd never felt his face burn so hot before.

Lan Di had ceased all movement. He drew a deep, calming breath in order to keep himself composed. Slowly, he turned his head back toward Hanfei, opening his eyes to glare down at him, nostrils flaring.

Hanfei gritted his teeth, "Your hands are still _under my obi_."

Lan Di's voice had deepened in sheer annoyance, "You are testing my patience, _Rabbit_."

Hanfei's eyes narrowed, wondering how he could get out of this situation without stripping entirely just to prove innocence he couldn't earn... he still had that note folded inside his robe after all. He'd have to do a lot more than pat him down to get to it, and he _really_ didn't want him to find it. No, being bare in front of him wasn't the problem until the thought fully crossed his mind... it made him dizzy and he wasn't quite sure why. Although, he wondered if Lan Di would also be thrown off by the thought?

So he smirked, releasing a small, dry chuckle that made Lan Di scowl in bewilderment. 

"If you want to see me naked..." Hanfei whispered, attempting to lean in a little closer despite the firm grip still on his waist. He raised a shaky hand up to Lan Di's face to gently trace a finger over his strong jawline, "It'll take a little more work than brute force... _Lan Di-Sama_. There's much nicer ways to go about it."

He didn't expect Lan Di's breath to catch. 

But Lan Di just gripped at Hanfei's waist, forcing a small gasp from the younger man once again.

Lan Di's expression remained unchanged, but he'd drawn his face a little closer, turning the tables on Hanfei and making him turn red once again. It was difficult not to blush when someone's lips were half an inch from your own.

That did **_not_** work out as expected

"Your appearance may deceive others," Lan Di whispered, his voice stern, "but even if you _were_ a woman... I would _**never**_ lie with you."

Hanfei's flustered expression quickly melded into a pout or scowl of sorts. Something about that hurt, and it wasn't the rejection. At least he _hoped_ it wasn't the rejection...

"Hmph. Please." Hanfei scoffed, fixing the collar of his robes to cover his chest more tightly than usual, hiding himself and the note he'd felt come loose under the fabric, "Like you would _ever_ be enchanted by any woman."

Lan Di slowly drew his hands away from Hanfei, standing taller, "Perhaps. I have no time for such frivolous endeavors."

"Right," Hanfei snorted, resisting the shakiness his tone wanted to give in to, and watching Lan Di step back from him, "Its totally not the fact that you're incapable of love in any form."

Lan Di raised a brow at him, lips pressed tightly together.

Hanfei made a face, almost mocking him, "Hm? No response? I'm right, aren't I?"

The older man gave a deep groan, looking over Hanfei before averting his gaze. He placed his hands behind his back, turning and stepping away from the conversation. Hanfei figured he was dismissed after that, but couldn't do much other than glower at the back of Lan Di's head for a moment. Although, he _did_ want to get out of there before Mr. Pushy-Bossy-Boss-Man could remember what he'd been looking for in the first place. 

So Hanfei sighed, fixing his robe into its proper place as he headed toward the door, "Whatever. Rest well, or something."

He received no response, and resisted slamming the door behind him. The god damn nerve, the absolute _gall_ Lan Di had... Hanfei couldn't quite believe he was the same person he knew when they were younger. He was never the nicest man in the world, no, but at this point Hanfei figured Lan Di only cared for people who could benefit him in some way. 

With a loud groan, Hanfei pushed open the door to the dimly-lit guest room he'd left his bag in. If the dust was any indication, of which made Hanfei sneeze, the room hadn't been used in a long while. With a sniffle, he pouted a little bit and dragged his bag over to the edge of the blue-covered bed. He flopped face first into it and didn't move for a few moments. It wasn't until then that he'd realized how sore he was, especially around his wrists and ankles.

He only had so much energy left to roll himself onto his back, and he really didn't want to change into something else. But he reluctantly did so with his eyes closed, idly beginning to pry his collar open before undoing his obi and other ties before discarding his robe.

He opened his eyes a little so that he could grab a shirt as quickly as he could, spotting the folded up card laying between the folds of his robes on the floor. He leaned forward to pick it up and set it beside him. He then grabbed a black cotton shirt to throw on immediately. He shivered a little at the idea of Lan Di's hands on his waist again... The warmth had lingered. Why? He had to chalk it up to loneliness or something. That had to be it.

He sighed. But he remembered he wasn't truly alone, and snatched up the card to finally read its contents. He wasn't sure what to make of it.

He read it under his breath, "Warehouse number 8... Father's Heaven; Nine Dragons, Mother's Earth; Comrades... aaand a phone number..." His brows furrowed, "The fuck is this supposed to be?" He huffed, slipping the note inside his pillow case beside him, "Guizhang... is this a damn riddle to make me talk to him...? Pique curiosity? What an idiot."

He didn't realize he was smiling until he put the note away. He blushed at his own reaction, throwing his face into the pillow to release a frustrated groan. 

He would have to find a way to call Guizhang the next day. For some reason, his heart skipped at the thought. 

" _Stop iiiiit._ " He hissed quietly, kicking his legs against the mattress with a whine, the movement creating a loud creaking sound from the old frame, " ** _Stop it_**. He just cares. He's allowed to. Don't read into it, you moron..." 

But he couldn't stop that tense feeling in his chest, and suspected that it was excitement... Oh geeze. 

He groaned once again, louder than necessary. Twice, sharp knocks sounded against the wall, signaling him to quiet down. This just made him even more embarrassed. 

"Stupid Lan Di..." Hanfei grumbled like a bratty child, "Bet he's never felt like this anyway...."

He knew he'd have to sleep... But he also knew it wouldn't be easy.

Not with his heart thrumming so intensely in his ears like this.


	3. The Raven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanfei needs to get out of the house, and it's only been what, two days? Thankfully, Guizhang had expected his call. They may not have a lot of time to spend around eachother for now, but even the most fleeting moments can harbor significance. 
> 
> Hanfei does have to return eventually, expected Lan Di to be as cruel as he always is...  
> But today, he may end up seeing that there's more beneath that frozen heart of his. Maybe... Just maybe, he can actually learn something from Lan Di.
> 
> (No severe chapter warnings. Mild violence, brief moment of intimidation, mainly from sparring ((two characters training their fighting skills together, with some romantic mild tension, with both characters knowing they can call it quits at any second)) )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOOO hi, hello. Happy New Year! And I'm sorry this took a while. 
> 
> I know it's been a few months, but I've been feeling a little writey. I know some of you are waiting for a Two Faced update, but I really really have to replay Shenmue III again before I can really get back into the plot of Two Faced. Thankfully, my partner and I plan on replaying the series again this month. WTMH holds was easier to work on because of it being semi-canon compliant. But I'm looking forward to what I can add to Two Faced soon.
> 
> As for WTMH itself, I'm hoping to get the plot veering forward very soon. I do have to replay Shenmue I for a good grip on the world again, but once the fic matches up with the in-game time line, I'm hoping it'll gain more momentum since I have a decent amount of the plot planned out for it, and some of the timeline leading into II.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy despite how rusty I'm feeling writing wise. Thank you!

It was never easy to sleep in a new location.

By the time Hanfei woke, he could already hear some grunts sounding from outside his window. Obviously there was sparring going on, even though it was...

Hanfei glanced to the clock on the wall.

...6:00 am.

Hanfei groaned. He'd only slept about 4 hours. Hell, there was no way Lan Di got any more sleep than he did, and, peeking out the window, the man seemed totally unaffected. Hanfei wondered what it was like to have that amount of coarse discipline. Geeze.

By the time Hanfei had actually gotten ready and headed down the stairs, the others had already finished training and we're partaking in tea. Hanfei frowned upon seeing Lan Di and his henchmen sitting at a kotatsu, silently.

"Care to join them for tea...?"

Hanfei jumped at the old lady's voice chiming in from beside him. He didn't even notice her initially, as he'd been distracted immediately by the others.

"Oh, no, thank you-"

She only stared, narrowing her eyes, "Are you sure?"

He pursed his lips, glancing back over toward the living room just when Lan Di lifted his gaze to meet his own. His expression was unreadable, and Hanfei felt his face flush and fists clench.

Shaking his head again, he gave the old woman a polite smile and a bow, "No, really, I shouldn't. I'm sorry. I have somewhere to be."

Lan Di spoke instead, making Hanfei jolt a little, "And where would that be?"

Hanfei scowled deeply, looking back over to him, "None of your business."

"It surely is... my business..." Lan Di spoke slowly, keeping his eyes on him, "You are meant to be here."

Hanfei stared for a second, but ended up smirking a little, "Oh, so you do need me? I mean, I don't technically have to be anywhere. So if you really do need me here I-"

Lan Di released a low groan and lifted one hand to halt Hanfei's words. The older man closed his eyes, a deep breath through his nose made his nostrils flare, "Just go."

Hanfei huffed, realizing he was not going to get the answer he'd hoped to find... for whatever reason, "So stubborn... Fine. I'm leaving."

He did not hesitate to turn on his heel and head toward the door. He quickly stepped into his black shoes before throwing the door open. He sauntered out, nearly slamming the door behind him... not realizing that all of them had been watching him.

"What a spoiled child." The old woman grumbled.

Lan Di grunted in agreement, lifting the fine tea cup to his lips as his eyes stayed glued to the door, "He will learn."

There was a strange surety to his words.

Hanfei stopped outside the door to take a few breaths, and calm himself down. Standing there and arguing with them would have made no difference - at least with Lan Di, anyway. He was sure about that.

He began walking with no particular destination in mind. He kept mental notes of the land marks around him and the signs directing where to go and for what. Eventually he made it to a small park. There wasn't much in the park except for grass and concrete, though... but there was a pay phone.

Hanfei paused and reached into his robes, pulling out the small slip of paper that Guizhang had given him. His eyes darted back up, and he crossed the park to the payphone. After paying the fee, he rang the number on the note. Knots twisted together in his stomach, and he shifted his standing position a few times as he held the phone snugly to his ear. He pursed his lips, only hearing a few rings before someone on the other end picked up.

"Father's heaven."

Hanfei hesitated, confused by the greeting. But he looked back to the note, and immediately realized what was going on.

"Nine dragons...?" He said.

"Mother's earth."

"Comrades..."

"Warehouse number 8."

Hanfei made a face of confusion to himself, but spoke anyway, "I need to speak to Guizhang."

"May I ask who's calling?"

"Hanfei Huang."

"One moment please..."

Hanfei sighed, looking around the area as he waited, tapping his foot impatiently. He watched someone riding down the street on a bike, and a couple children running past, until that familiar voice caught his attention on the other line.

"Hanfei...?" Guizhang spoke, with some semblance of surprise in his voice.

"Hey." Hanfei replied, keeping his eyes busy but not really looking at anything, "Didn't expect you to give me your number."

"I didn't expect you to call."

Hanfei chuckled in response, "Man, I'm not that flakey."

"Hmm..." Guizhang grumbled.

"Okay, maybe a little." Hanfei smirked when he heard Guizhang exhale quickly from his nose, which he took for amusement, "There's a bus route from Maboricho to Doubita, right?"

"You're all the way out in Maboricho?"

"Unfortunately." Hanfei muttered, looking up at the buildings around him, "Are you busy?"

Guizhang paused as if he had to ponder it for a moment, "Not too busy."

"I mean I can stay here, I just can't stand my boss right now-"

"I'll come get you."

Hanfei was taken aback, "What?"

"Find the bus stop, I'll meet you there."

"Hang on, Guizhang-"

But the line had gone dead. Hanfei lowered the phone from his ear, staring at the black plastic in his hand in disbelief. Guizhang was generally quite the busybody, so it was strange to think he might be taking time off just to see him. No, that couldn't be right. He was probably just being honest and didn't have too much to do... Regardless, Hanfei placed the phone back on the receiver before racing off to find the bus stop.

\-----

It didn't take too long for Guizhang to arrive... That or it took Hanfei a while to find the Maborikaigan bus stop. Either way, within five minutes of Hanfei finding the stops, Guizhang had stepped off. Hanfei grinned, some kind of joyous skip presenting in his step as he rushed forward.

"Here!" Hanfei jutted his hand out, offering a hot vending machine coffee out to Guizhang, "It's a bit cold out."

Guizhang only stared at him for a moment, like there was some sort of riddle to this. But Hanfei just gestured the can back and forth before Guizhang snatched it from him. Hanfei grinned instantly.

"Quit acting like a schoolboy..." Guizhang muttered, but Hanfei chuckled at the insult, causing him some mild guilt, "...Thank you. Now, get on the bus."

Hanfei felt the need to protest, remembering that Lan Di was already pretty angry at him... But he also figured he could do the best possible work at his job and Lan Di would still hate him. On the other hand, there was the slight chance of Lan Di murdering him in cold blood despite the direct order from Tian Di not to do that...

Hanfei sighed, "I can't, Guizhang. I have to at least stay in the area or my boss is going to be livid."

Guizhang grunted in acknowledgement before looking back to the bus. Hanfei watched his defined face go from disappointment, to pondering something, to... confidence? He nodded once and looked back to Hanfei.

"I shall stay here for a little while, then." Guizhang stated with little room for argument.

"Uh..." Hanfei's brows raised, but Guizhang's expression didn't change... So Hanfei shrugged, "Alrighty. I don't really know what's around here, though."

Guizhang nodded once, "That's fine. Would you like to go for a walk?"

Hanfei smiled a little at the offer, "Yeah, uh... Sure."

Guizhang began heading in the direction that Hanfei came from, back towards the house they'd been staying in. Hanfei grabbed his arm and yanked him back in a blunder, causing Guizhang stumbled back, his brows furrowing together in a confused scowl. Once he caught his footing, he glanced to Hanfei's arms, which were closed around his bicep like a clingy child would do with their guardian. His eyes darted to Hanfei's face, and he paused. Hanfei didn't care how close his face was to Guizhang's, he just wanted to accomplish his goal of stopping him.

"Not that way." Hanfei whispered, "I don't want to run into my boss."

Guizhang cleared his throat and stood a little straighter, politely removing his arm from Hanfei's grasp in order to fix his short bangs back into place and flatten out the wrinkles in his suit jacket, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel as though I am now enabling you. Perhaps I should be scolding you on your work ethic... Or lack thereof."

Hanfei scoffed as he took a step in a more favourable direction, "Oh, please! Enabling... Pshh. I'd be doing this anyway. My boss is a massive jerk."

"Hm." Guizhang grunted, opening the tab of his hot coffee can as they walked.

Silence fell upon them for a moment, but it was quite... soothing. Hanfei suddenly realized that the concept of loneliness was a very real one, and upon thinking about it more, he couldn't immediately recall the last time he didn't feel alone until... Now. Perhaps it was the last time he was with his friends, before they all moved away or were scared away by his parents... Guizhang had always been a reliable friend, even if they only saw eachother every so often back when the Chen family would visit Yokohama on a frequent basis...

Suddenly, a question escaped him, "...Guizhang," he was barely acknowledged with a grunt before he continued, "Were my parents awful people, or was that something I made up to like, make myself feel better about hating them?"

Guizhang was silent, not quite sure how to deal with such upfront emotions from his friend, "I- hm..." He glanced to Hanfei, then away again, "Why do you ask?"

Hanfei sighed, "It's just been on my mind. It's like... I keep needing to force myself to feel bad about their deaths. But... I don't. And I feel bad for not feeling worse about it. Does that make sense?"

Guizhang pursed his lips for a second as he stared at Hanfei again. Hanfei just played with the rim of the coffee can, staring ahead. He could tell by the younger man's somber expression that he was thinking too deeply for his own good. He wasn't used to the expression him...

Hanfei's gaze turned to Guizhang the moment he felt a hand on his shoulder. It made him stop in his tracks, and Guizhang did the same. They locked eyes, and Hanfei couldn't seem to move under Guizhang's gaze.

The well-dressed man finally spoke, "The fact that you feel bad about not feeling worse is... Good. You feel remorse. But, simply put... You weren't attached to them as much as one expects to be in a parent-child bond. That's not your fault. They were supposed to be what you needed then to be, and they weren't. You're allowed to be angry about it."

Hanfei's shoulders slouched, "I appreciate the comfort, but now I'm just wondering what it's like to have a decent father. Or mother. You're pretty close with your father, aren't you?"

Guizhang nodded, moving his hand away from Hanfei's shoulder to begin walking again, "I am."

Hanfei followed, "What's it like?"

Guizhang made a strange noise of uncertainty, since that was an unusual question, "I'm not sure how to answer that question. I suppose if have to say something... It's nice. My father is a great man, and I admire him."

"You aspire to be like him... I'm glad you have him, honestly. He's a great man." Hanfei hummed, taking a few skips ahead on the path where the road was cracked.

Guizhang watched Hanfei skip ahead, somehow finding himself lost in such a simple statement. He'd known Hanfei's father, and he was not what people should consider a "good guy" at all... Meanwhile, Guizhang couldn't think of anyone else he would rather follow in the footsteps of than his own father. He did appreciate it, of course, but it was nice to be reminded... He shouldn't take that bond for granted.

"I'm not sure I ever had role models, except for like, musicians." Hanfei suddenly spoke as he stood faced away, breaking Guizhang away from his thoughts.

Guizhang released a small huff of amusement through his nose and walked towards him, "Seems about right, for you."

Hanfei turned back to him with a pout, starting to walk backwards, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You certainly have the flair of an idol. That's all I meant. You have a certain spark about you."

Hanfei rolled his eyes, "Is this turning into yet another unwanted conversation about my sexuality?"

Guizhang groaned, "Hmph... No. I wasn't going there."

Hanfei stopped in his tracks, causing Guizhang to stop as well.

Hanfei smirked, opting to be a little shit, "I'm starting to think you just _want_ me to be homosexual."

Guizhang said nothing. They were both still for a minute...

Guizhang lifted his can to take a long drink of his coffee, his gaze landing elsewhere. Hanfei wasn't sure what to take away from that reaction... So he placed his hands on his hips, still firmly standing in Guizhang's path. Guizhang eventually lowered the coffee can and looked down at Hanfei, both of them exchanging unreadable expressions. Hanfei tilted his head, and Guizhang raised a brow at him. Their attempt to communicate solely through expressions was futile.

It was only interrupted by a drop of water hitting Hanfei in the face. Hanfei scowled and looked up, holding his hand out as the cold rain began to pour. He sighed, looking back to Guizhang, who also looked a little irritated.

"I was hoping to escape the rain." He murmured.

Hanfei chuckled, "Not really far enough from Doubita to escape the weather, Guizhang."

Guizhang grunted and turned around, "I should get back to work. You should too."

Hanfei sighed, staying still as Guizhang began to walk. He had to force himself to follow him, knowing he would have to return to the house right after Guizhang was gone...

But he was right, Lan Di was going to need him for some mundane task at any second... So long as he didn't ask him to cook something that wasn't fried rice or eggs, he would probably be fine doing whatever.

He hoped.

Walking around with Guizhang aimlessly all day sounded much more appealing than having a boring or stressful day waiting for Lan Di to do this and that. No one even told him why they were in this small Japanese town in the first place...

Thankfully for them, the rain wasn't much more than a drizzle coming down for now. The walk back was silent for the most part, and once they made it to the bus stop, Guizhang turned to face Hanfei once more. Hanfei watched a few people crowd the bus stop behind the taller man, before looking right back up to him.

"I appreciate you coming out here." Hanfei spoke honestly, "You don't know how much just a few minutes being around you has helped me feel less... Tense, I guess."

If he didn't know better, he might have thought there was a smile sneaking up on Guizhang's lips.

But Guizhang looked away, "Mhm. I need you to do me a favour."

"What is it?"

"Call me tomorrow morning, if you can. If not morning, then in the evening."

Hanfei shrugged, "Not much of a favour considering I was going to do that anyway."

Guizhang gave a small nod and almost began to turn away, but Hanfei grabbed his wrist. Guizhang turned back slowly, eyeing him cautiously and curiously.

"I forgot..." Hanfei mumbled, reaching into the folds of his robe to take out some well-sewn fabric. He offered the piece to Guizhang, "I made you something."

Guizhang seemed unable to respond for a moment, "You made me something...?" He unfolded the fabrics to figure out what the gift was, and raised a brow at the craft in his hands, "A tie? In the same colour as...

"I know I know, I didn't have any other colors you'd like..." Hanfei interrupted, "but this one's silk, okay?"

This time, a smile did crack through Guizhang's cold facade, "This is rather well-made... Thank you."

Hanfei felt himself grin helplessly, "I'm glad you like it!" He stepped back, feeling as though it would prevent him from doing something stupid, but his joy was clearly exuberant, "Well, I'm leaving first. Have a safe trip back!"

Guizhang stared after the man as he ran off, unable to pry his eyes away, even as he heard the bus pull up with screeching breaks. Someone even had to call out to him to catch his attention...

\-----

"Where have you been?

Hanfei grimaced when he immediately heard Lan Di's voice 'greet' him upon entering the house...

"I wasn't gone that long." He replied, shaking the wet bag of items from the Tomato Store. He didn't exactly need to show the dozen gacha toys he had hidden away in the bag.

Lan Di stared him down, and Hanfei stared right back. What did he want him to do? Crumble and beg for mercy?

"Do you want tea or not?" Hanfei broke the silence.

"We have tea."

"Well I got more anyway."

The silence resumed, and Hanfei gave up, and instead of staying there to be scrutinized by Lan Di's gaze, he tried to make his way towards the stairs... But Lan Di gripped his arm.

"What were you really doing?" Lan Di inquired with the same icy tone.

Hanfei sighed, twisting Lan Di's hand off of him, but Lan Di only grabbed him again without issue. Hanfei had to avert his gaze, feeling a mix of irritation and... Something he couldn't quite explain.

"Fine. I went to get some gacha toys... Why do you care so much?" Hanfei hissed.

Lan Di continued to stare at him with that stone gaze. Hanfei studied his expression for a moment, then released a bitter chuckle.

"Oof." Hanfei whispered, "You're just a paranoid old man, aren't you?"

Suddenly he was snapped back against the wall, then lifted up by his collar. Hanfei froze, staring straight in Lan Di's eyes the moment his own opened. He gripped at Lan Di's wrists, but there were so many ways that could get him out of this situation safely... But he didn't move.

Move, you idiot... You can get out of this...

"Are you done?" Hanfei sneered, "I leave, you get angry, I'm around, you get angry. I'm starting to assume I'm not the problem here."

"Your assumption would be wrong." Lan Di spat, stepping back and letting Hanfei fall to the floor.

Hanfei caught himself, fixing his robes with a glare, "If you want to spar just say so."

Lan Di's gaze remained on him as he stood back, placing his hands behind him as he eyed the younger man, "That's certainly an idea."

Hanfei's eyes widened when Lan Di gestured to the back door. Hanfei looked to the door, back to Lan Di, then to the door again before scoffing at Lan Di, "Seriously?"

"You must train every day."

"I do. Usually. Just not as much as you do."

"Then you will never improve, rabbit." He suddenly turned, making his way toward the door. He stopped in front of it and looked back to Hanfei, gesturing with one finger to beckon him, "Come. Now."

Hanfei wasn't sure why his legs went numb for a second, and Gods, he did not want to think about it. He gave in, throwing caution into the wind as he obeyed the command. He wanted to spar, it was nothing he hadn't done before. Before he knew it, he was outside and standing a short distance from Lan Di. They were surrounded mostly by dead grass, and a tall concrete wall stood between the backyard and the sidewalk. Or perhaps it was the temple... He wasn't sure. Either way, it was cold, and wet, he wasn't fond of the idea of sparring in the rain at all. It was already coming down harder than it was when he'd entered the house.

"One of us is going to catch a cold." He mumbled, moving into the correct stance just as Lan Di did.

Lan Di sighed, "You're weaker than you think, rabbit. You need to train in any condition. You never know when you'll have to fight for your life in the rain, or even in the snow."

"I highly doubt I'll ever have to fight for my life with that great of difficulty-" Hanfei attempted to retort, but received a glare from Lan Di.

"Don't talk." Lan Di ordered, "Listen when I speak. Now, strike me."

Hanfei shut his mouth and focused on Lan Di. He didn't know how to argue with Lan Di when the man was actually right.

Lan Di's cold eyes remained on Hanfei, both of them remaining still. Lan Di gave a minute gesture with his head to suggest Hanfei move first. Hanfei really didn't want to, but he pushed back his worry and suddenly threw out a high kick. It hit Lan Di's arm, who then grabbed Hanfei's ankle. He pushed down, causing Hanfei to fall backwards, and catch himself so he didn't completely hit the ground.

"Your weakness is your lack of focus... You're too worried about the surroundings, and not focused enough on the fight." Lan Di's words continued to anger Hanfei, who quickly tried to get up.

Hanfei groaned at his robes being saturated with rain water, "It's hard to focus when it's raining so damn hard."

"If you can't focus with a little rain, how will you focus in a life or death situation?"

Hanfei didn't answer, he stared up at Lan Di with his thin brows furrowed. He really hated it when Lan Di had a point... Hanfei was used to fighting in doors or when the weather was clear... But it was becoming more apparent that his teachers in the past never expected him to fight for his life in a variety of situations.

Lan Di expected much different...

"You need to clear your mind of all distractions. Let the rain fall and the wind blow, rabbit..." His voice lowered, scolding him, "Is your life less important than your comfort?"

"I'm not a rabbit, I'm a grown man." Hanfei spat, though his voice shook.

Lan Di groaned quietly, lowering his head as he glared, "Then start acting like one, and focus."

Hanfei took a deep breath, trying his best to block out the sounds of the wind and rain. He slowly got up, his hands and legs steady despite the cold. His eyes opened slowly, fixating on Lan Di before aiming a quick strike towards his neck, being deflected. Lan Di evaded the next strike by backing up, kicking high and forcing Hanfei to duck. Hanfei twisted into another strike, deflected again, the next being evaded, and again, and again. Hanfei remained focused on Lan Di's body language, and threw a strike toward his neck, this time anticipating the possibility of his wrist being grabbed by also readying himself to strike a kick at his waist.

Lan Di easily blocked the first strike, pushing Hanfei's wrist away and attempting to move, but Hanfei's shin struck his waist. Lan Di barely flinched, but it was still a strike nonetheless, "Ah. You're fighting smarter, not just relying on brute force and reflexes."

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an insult. How is what I'm doing smart?"

"Your strikes are quick and powerful, yes, but you're also reading the situation. You're not going to be able to out-muscle someone larger than you, so you must compensate with your mind."

Lan Di seemed to immediately regret giving him praise when he saw Hanfei's scowl turn into a cocky smirk.

"I thought you didn't believe I even had a brain." Hanfei snickered.

"I never said that."

"You didn't have to."

"Regardless, you have some potential... But you need to work on your patience in order to focus. You can not always rely on your sword, and its not always necessary to be aggressive, one must know when to hold back-"

"Says the man who had me pinned to a wall on more than one occasion."

Lan Di's expression darkened, "I had reasons, ones not relevant to this conversation."

"What reasons?" Hanfei had to resist the urge to smirk again.

"Irrelevant. Focus."

Hanfei didn't have time to respond, as he had to block an incoming strike. He had been far too focused on Lan Di's answer that he neglected to pay attention to the fight.

"Concentrate, Hanfei!" Lan Di spat.

Hanfei grunted in response while blocking another strike and ducking down, sweeping his leg to knock Lan Di off his feet- but Lan Di avoided it with ease. Hanfei got up too quickly, pivoting to gain traction on a strike to Lan Di's chest... But the way Lan Di diverted the blow with a push to the side, and Hanfei's improper stance, Hanfei slipped the rain and mud beneath them. He yelped - and without thinking - grasped the front of Lan Di's robe to stop himself from falling... Lan Di growled in surprise and frustration. His attempted to stop him made it worse, since it caused Hanfei to pull him down with him.

They both landed hard, with Hanfei's back smacking into the muddy ground... Lan Di at least had enough control to catch himself, both his palms flat in the mud on either side of Hanfei's shoulders.

Hanfei groaned in stunned pain, opening his eyes slowly to find Lan Di's most displeased face just inches from his. He inhaled sharply, the surprise somehow tricking him into thinking it was a good idea to grip onto Lan Di's robe harder.

"What... are you doing...?" Lan Di hissed.

"I was... stopping myself from falling," Hanfei panted.

"You're not a cat, Hanfei. Let yourself fall."

"It was the mud!" Hanfei whined.

Lan Di squinted, lip curling up in a small sneer, "...It is no surprise to me that your vanity gets in the way of your potential."

"My... vanity..." Hanfei scowled, "Seriously?"

"Yes, you're so concerned with your appearance that you can't even fall properly. It's a problem. You are a problem."

"There was nothing wrong with the way I was falling!"

"You grabbed me to save yourself. You lack control."

"So? You fell with me! How's that for lack of control?"

Lan Di grimaced, shifting his weight to one arm so that he could place a hand on Hanfei's throat, "If this were a real fight..." He leaned in just slightly, having no trouble keeping himself up with one arm. His voice lowered, rumbling like the distant thunder, "You would be dead."

Hanfei opened his mouth to speak, but... His mind drifted to Lan Di's large hand on his throat, completely forgetting about the wet mud on the older man's hand now coating his own neck. He could feel his face heating up against the cold air, and he swallowed the dryness in his throat.

Lan Di's hand was large enough to completely cover Hanfei's entire throat, and the young man could feel his pulse under the tight grasp... It only sped, and he was sure Lan Di could feel that.

"Lan Di..." Hanfei wasn't sure what he was trying to say his name for, but he was starting to feel light-headed... And it was definitely not front he pressure on his throat.

"You'd be dead by now, rabbit..." Lan Di muttered, "Here I thought you could do better... You say you're a grown man, but you freeze up when the threat is at it's highest..." He sighed, causing Hanfei to tense up at the warmth of his breath fighting the cold humidity around them, "I don't know how you could be considered anything other than prey."

The older man's voice sounded so far away, it's like Hanfei forgot how to exist for a moment. His eyes flickered to Lan Di's thin, defined lips, glistening from the raindrops... and he wondered what they would feel like on his own-

Ahh! NO! Nooooo! Absolutely not! Nope!

Hanfei abruptly pressed his hands to Lan Di's chest and pushed him hard, locking his elbows to keep him away. Lan Di barely had time to react, as the smaller man twisted his torso to the side and pulled his legs up, pressing his heels into Lan Di's lap. He pushed himself hard enough to bring his legs up in a loop, moving a hand to Lan Di's neck, and he threw his leg around the older man's neck. Lan Di initially attempted to grab the hand on the back of his neck, but he was stopped by Hanfei's thigh. Lan Di was pulled aside where his arm wasn't locked in place, and the younger man completed his move by flipping their positions around, pressing all his weight on Lan Di's shoulders, pinning him down with his thighs.

The moment Lan Di looked up, Hanfei's arm bolted outward, fingertips stopping sharply at the side of Lan Di's head. He tapped Lan Di's temple instead of landing a real hit.

Hanfei breathed out hard, eyes locked with Lan Di's, "Dead. How's that for prey?"

The older man looked up at him, silent for a few moments as his predicament completely settles in on him. It was actually quite awkward having his head between Hanfei's knees, so neither of them were going to acknowledge it out loud.

"Impressive." Lan Di said plainly.

Hanfei's brows rose, surprised, "Really?"

Lan Di didn't respond, instead, he suddenly hooked his arms around the back of Hanfei's thighs, anchoring his grip by pressing his hands to Hanfei's stomach. He flipped him backwards and sat up swiftly. Hanfei groaned, rubbing the back of his head, mostly annoyed with the mud in his hair.

Lan Di released a huff of amusement, "Of course not. I was only distracted. It was luck."

Hanfei groaned as he began to pout. He then realized he was still partially in Lan Di's hold, entirely vulnerable by being half-way into his lap...

Lan Di still held his elegant and poised nature. How dare he. He barely had a hair out of place, and aside from a muddy splash here and there, he was still... Intimidating. Perhaps even more so with the droplets of rain dripping off his brow and chin.

Hanfei pushed himself back, sitting up and releasing his ponytail to get rid of some frustration. It was wet and muddy, the sensation was bothering him, he totally wasn't trying to focus the intensity of his emotions on something else, he was fine. This was fine. Land Di was as just of a mess as he was...

Okay, not really...

"I love how you get to make excuses but if I do it... Hmph!" Hanfei hissed, shaking his head in a bold motion to release some of the water caught in his hair, "You were distracted... Distracted my ass. Distracted by what, even?"

Lan Di stood, eyeing him for a long moment. Hanfei glanced up to him, then to the wet hair tie in his hands with a scowl.

Distracted by _what_...?

Distracted by...

And why was he staring now? Hanfei was beginning to feel embarrassed. They were both wet from the rain, but Hanfei knew his eyeliner had to be melting at least a little, and his hair... Ugh. It was already sticking to his face and jaw. He was starting to blush, and it was only because he felt so damn embarrassed. Stop staring. Stop it.

"You should go make that tea." Lan Di eventually broke the silence, "After a bath, of course."

He turned away to head back inside, casually shaking off some of the mud from on of his hands with a sigh. This left Hanfei to gather himself.

Hanfei scowled at Lan Di's back as he walked away. Every interaction with him left him more confused than the last...

He shivered suddenly, remembering how wet and cold he was. All he could hope for now was to not catch a cold from this...


End file.
